Modulating attachment for automatic pianos.



No. 889,444, PATEITTED JUNE 2, 1908. T. DANQUARD.

MODULATING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS. I

- APPL'IOATION FILED MAY 26, 1905.

2 SKEETS-SHEET 1.

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, insure perfect striki UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Tnoms DANQUARI), or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'ro AUTOPIANO COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MODULATING ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC PIANOS.

No. 889,444. Specification of To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DANQUARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State New York, have invented a new and useful Modulating Attachment for Automatic Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a construction for controlling the strikin mechanism of an automatic piano to ro uce. modified effects.

The invention re ates especially to that class of automatic pianos which are controlled by rolls or strips of perforated paper.

The object of this invention is to provide for automatically controlling the striking mechanism of an automatic iano so as to or spea 'ng effects of all notes of a musica composition, while at the same "time permitting the accenting of the air or melody to produce marked or accented phrasesl To this end this inventionconsists of means for regulating the striking mechanism of an to a piano in which the striking or spea automatic iano in accordance with air tension or orce which is exerted upon the effects are controlled b shifting the position of the hammer rest-rai so that the hammers are moved up closer or stand further away from the strings.

In the drawin s, Figure 1 is a'sectional front-view of su cient parts of a piano to illustrate the application of this invention thereto. Fig. 2 IS a fragmentary sectional view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View of the finger-key controlling the modulation of a art of a piano action.

In this class of automatic pianos all notes of a musical composition were originally struck or soundedwith the same degree of loudness.

' In order to )roduce modified eflects necessary to properly shade a musical composition and bring out eitherthe melody or accompaniment with different degrees of loudness, a number of difierent constructions have been provided. To effect this purpose it has beenproposed to divide thepneuInaticactionof an automatic piano into two or more divisions, and to throttle or vary the air ten- Letters Patent. Patented June 2, 1O8.

Application filed May 26, 1906. Serial No. 262,424.

sions with which'the different notes either of thebassor treble are sounded. It has also beenproposed to provide mechanical connections for clampin or modulating a part of the piano action whi e leaving other arts of the piano action to besounded with ll striking efiects.

In ractice I have found that modulating attac ments for automatic ianos either when controlled by dividin t e pneumatic action, or when controlled by mechanically damping either the bass or treble notes are unsatisfactory for the reason that they are apt to produce slurring or an entire failure to sound anything but the accented notes. For example, where a divided pneumatic action is em loyed in an automatic piano, unless the peda s'are o erated with considerable power,

. speaking effect for all notes of a musical composition, even when the pedals are operated com iaratively slowly or with little power, and accomplish this result by controlling my modulating mechanism by connections from the wind trunk of the pneumatic action. This enables me to provide an automatic piano in which whenever the pedals are oper ated powerfully to produce accented or powerful striking effects a part ofthe notes, for exam le, the accompaniment may be sounded so tly; while at the same time whenever the air tension falls by reason of operating the 'edals more slowly or with less power, the muiiiing or. dampin effect will diminish in proportion to the ciange of air tension, so that perfect striking effects of all notes of a musical com osition will be efifected independently o the power exerted upon the pedals. i Referrin for a detaif this invention to a iano in whic ing effects are contro led by a divided hammer rest-rail which shifts the position of the hamto the accompanying drawings description of the application of This is also sometimes true the strik- 1 'mers either away from or towards the piano may be of any usual or o'rdinary'constructions, and is provided with a keyboard rail R- which extends out under the piano keys. The action of the piano may be of any usual and in the construction herein illustrated the hammer rest-rail may be divided into a number of sections; in the present instance, the hammer rest-rail being illustrated as comrising a section 10 for moving part of the liammers towards the piano strings when the bass notes are to be played softly, and an in dependently movable section 11 for throwing part of the hammers towards the piano strings when the treble notes are to-be struck or sounded. softly. p I

In order to permit the usual soft pedal effect, the pedal rod 12 is arranged at its upper end to engage and turn a rock-shaft 1.3 having lifting arms 14 forraising both sections of the divided hammer rest-rail, and I prefer to arrange the parts in this manner so that when the piano is being played by hand the ordinary soft pedal effect for the'entire action may be secured if desired.

Referring now to the. means which Iernploy for actuating either section of the divided hammer rest-rail according to whether it is desired to modify the bass notes or treble notes of a musical composition, I control this operation from the air tension. employed for producing-the automatic playing effects, and I have arranged connectionsso that when a finger-key is operated to soften or modulate part of the piano action, and comparatively low air tension is maintained by the pedals or otherwise in the main wind trunk, a comparatively slight modulating effectwill be produced, this insuring a perfeet speaking of all notes which are sounded either with modulated or full striking effect, but when operated under increased air tensions, more complete modulating effects will be produced so as to produce a more perfect softening of the treble or bass notes according to which modulating key is depressed,-

while still permitting heavily accented effects to be sounded upon other notes.

The connections for modulating either the bass or treble part of the action by swinging hack a corresponding part of the hammer rest-rail are substantial duplicates of each other, and a description of one set of such connections will be sufficient. For example,

the connections for modulating or softening the bass notes of a piano by swinging rearwardly a section of hammer rest-rail corresponding thereto-may comprise a finger-key mitted to 'a passage 18 The spring- 16 as shown in Fig. 3 normally closes a valve seat 17 When the spring is depressed, atmospheric air pressure is adwhich leads to a primary pneumatic 19.

pneumatic 19. carries valvesfor connecting a passage 20 either with the atmospheric air or with the suction chamber 22. The suction slotted to receive a pin extending from the r hammer rest-rail section 11 which controls. the treble or higher notes of the-piano action. Themovable section of each of the pneumatics 21 is held down by a spring 25.

Considering now the, operationbf a complete piano as thus equipped, it is to be understood that the pneumatic devices for .pro-" ducing automatic playing effects are connected to operate the hammers in any of the ordinary ways, which need not be herein;

shown and described.

Whenever it is desired to sound the bass notes of a musical composition softly, while I permitting normal effects to treble notes,

the finger 15 corresponding to the bass notes willbe depressed, and so long as thisfingerkey is held down a connection between the operating pneumatic 21 and the main wind chest 24 will 'be kept open, but at the same time the tendency of the operating pneu- Inatic 21 to shift-the bass note-hammer closer to the strings will be resisted by the spring 25, and so long as the automatic action isbeingjplayed under light or weak air tensions, or without much force being ex: erted upon-the pedals, all the hammers will remain in their normal positions,- but as the The valve-stem operated by the primary air tension is increased to produce accented or marked effects, the force exerted by the operating pneumatic 21 will also increase until it overcomes or partly overcomes the tension of its spring 25 thus producing a softeningor modulation of the bass notes. This result is secured without in anyway interfering with the perfect speaking of all notes. of the musical composition, because whenever the force exerted on pedal is diminished, and the air tension falls and the modulating effect is. automatically dispensed with, no matter how lightly or delicatelfi musical phrases may be played, there will be no slurring or failure to sound all the notes corresheet. In the same way, when the fingerkey corresponding with, the treble notes; is

be produced upon-such treble notes whenever the: instrument operates under high air tensions, but -such Ino'd1 1latin, effects will be automatically dispensed with whenever the air tension -dimi-mshes or less power is employed upon thejpedals It is'of course. obvious that the hammer rest-rail may be divided into a greater number of sections than -two, and in such case,

the number of finger-keys in thekeyboard ledge-will be correspondinglyincreased, and while I have shown my invention applied'to a iano of that type in which-the striking e cots are controlled by the position] of the hammer rest-rail; I do not wish to be limited to the application of myinvention to this articular means. for dampening or moduating the striking effects.

,-I am aware that many changes may be madexby skilled mechanics in a plying. my

invention to the different ty es 0 pianos and I do not wish, therefore, to e limited to the scribed; but

construction I have herein shown and de- What I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a musical instrument, the combinamatic means controlled by variations of the air tensions acting on said striking devices 7 for modulating or softening the efi ects of part its full capacity. I ',3. Ina muslcal instrument, the combination of a wind-chest, a movable hammer rest.

of said striking devices, and external yielding means for preventing the operation of the modulating means when the striking devices are 0 erated under low air tensions.

2. n a musical instrument, the combination with. striking devices of a piano action and a main wind-chest, of means for modulating or softening the effects produced thereby, said means being controlled by variations in theair tensions in the. main wind-chest, and means for entirely preventing the operation of the modulating means when said air tensions. are sufficiently low to cause the .action to be played softly, and for yielding when the air tension is high enough to cause the action to be played loudly so as to permit saidmodulating or softening means to act to rail, an operating pneumatic connected therewith for operating said rail, means for .con.-.

necting said operatingv pneumatic ,with the wind-chest, and separate yielding means for holding the operatmg pneumatic in' normal inoperative position in opposition to the tension of the wind-chest and thus preventing 'the operation of said pneumatic when the wind-chest is operating the instrument under light air tensions, whereby said operating pneumatic will fail to act in proportion to the 3 an 11611810118 said yielding means being of pedal, and connections from the pedalfor heavy:

4. In a musical nstrument, the combination of a movable hammer rest-rail, a pneumatic for moving said rest-rail toward the strings, a spring for normally holding said pneumatic 0 en so as to leave the rail at its maximum istance from the strings, said spring being of such strength that it will not be materially stretched by the ordinary light playing air tensions operating the said pneumatic .but that its resiliency will be sufficiently overcome by .the ordinary heavy playing air tensions employed for producing accented effects to permit the pneumatic to move said hammer rest-rail in proportion to said heavy air tensions.

5. Ina musical instrument, the combina tion of a pneumatic, a slotted link depending therefrom, a hammer rest-rail having a proj ection loosely en aged by said link whereby the operation of t e link in one direction wi 1 move the hammer rest-rail, and a spring connected with said pneumatic for retarding its motion under low airtensions but of such strength that nnder high air tensions the pneumatic will overcome the resistance of thes ring.

6. In an automatic piano, the combination ofa pivoted hammer rest rail section, a hook for moving said hammer rail section in a direction toward 'the hammers, a pneumatic for pulling said hook in a direction to operate the hammer rest rail section, pneumatic means for operating the pneumatic, and a spring for overcoming said pneumatic means when the operating means is worked under a low tension. I

7. In an automatic piano, the combination of a-pivoted hammer restwrail, a slotted link for engaging said rail and moving it toward the hammers, a pneumatic for pulling said link to operate the rail, pneumatic means for operating the pneumat1c, a spring for overcoming said pneumatic means when the operating means is worked under a-low tension, a

shifting the hammer restrail toward the hammers when the piano is to be played by hand independently of the position of said 8. In an automatic piano, the combination of a hammer rest-rail made up of a plurality of novable sections, pneumatic means for moving each of said sect-ions toward the ham-' mers independently, a edal, and connections from the pedalfor s lifting both sections of the hammer rest-rail toward the hammers -'independently.of the position of said pneu- 9. In an instrument'of the class described,

& 889,444

the combination with a movable hammer my hand, in the presence of twq subscribing relst lizlil halving an arm, of a hill; having a slot witnesses w lie 1 sair arm enters and w iich su norts 1 the arm, and meails for lifting the lhiki and rHIOMAS DAINQLARD' 5 thereby moving the rest rail, said link being \Vitnesses;

pivotally suspended from said means. J. W. BARTLETT,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I HOPPER S. MOTT. 

